Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

If you're looking for an entertainingly corny '50s serial this is a good choice. But I made the mistake of buying it mainly because I already had the 3D system that can be used to watch a few IMAX movies like "Encounter in the Third Dimension" and "Haunted Castle", and this set is advertised as working with that system. Unfortunately, as it turns out the original serial was not filmed in 3D, so all they did was add some occasional 3D effects to a mostly 2D movie, like computer-animated debris coming out of the screen during explosions. So don't be fooled by Razor3D's advertising this movie as part of their "3D Sci-Fi Collection"--if you're interested in 3D movies you should look elsewhere.

There are several things that make this film important to Motion Picture History: It was among the last Saturday Matinee serials made by Republic Pictures; It contains Leonard Nimoy's first screen appearance; it was among the films influential in the youth of filmmakers like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

"Radar Men from the Moon" would be of interest to anyone wanting to add an example of a Saturday Matinee Cliffhanger to their collection. It has a more intelligent story in a genre not know for its intelligence. The special effects of the Lydecker brothers holds up pretty well, though it is far from the sophistication of today's cinema.

The premise is that men from the Moon come to the Earth in a Rocketship with a plan to take over the Earth. King is the head of a government agency established to deal with threats from Outer Space. He dawns a rocket propelled flying suit, and flies in his own rocketship, and works with a staff to detect the plots of the alien invaders and fight off their attacks.

"Radar Men from the Moon" was a sequel to an earlier Republic serial called "King of the Rocket Men".